They Can't Take That Away from Me: Concert Band Conductor Score

Warren Barker's arrangement captures the song's suave sophistication while keeping the ensemble engaged throughout. The flexibility to feature either a vocal soloist or an instrumental soloist (in E-flat or B-flat) means you can adapt this to whatever talent walks into your rehearsal room, and it reads cleanly at Grade 4 without losing any of Gershwin's harmonic elegance.

Smooth and urbane, with just enough rhythmic swagger to keep things from feeling stale. The melody is instantly recognizable, yet Barker's arrangement reveals new harmonic colors and textural possibilities that make even familiar listeners sit up and pay attention. There's an elegance here that younger musicians can actually sink their teeth into.

Concert bands looking to add a polished, audience-friendly feature to their spring program. This works equally well whether you have a strong vocal soloist, a standout clarinet or trumpet player, or someone who can handle the flexibility required in the optional instrumental line.

• Treat the ensemble passages as a jazz-inflected orchestra backing rather than a straightforward band sound. The style leans toward swing articulation in the rhythmic figures; lightness and swing feel matter here.
• Balance the solo line carefully. This arrangement works best when the soloist can be heard clearly but never sounds isolated from the band. A rehearsal or two spent establishing dynamic relationships between soloist and accompaniment pays dividends.
• The familiar melody invites lazy phrasing. Encourage your soloist to sing or play with genuine rubato and shape, especially in the bridge; the band can support small tempo flexibility without losing cohesion.

Place this as a standalone feature in a spring concert or pops program where you want the audience to leave humming. It pairs well with other Great American Songbook standards or serves as a bridge between a classical set and lighter fare. The approachable Grade 4 difficulty means rehearsal time stays efficient, leaving you room to polish other works on your program.

• Balancing an ensemble accompaniment around a featured soloist
• Swing articulation and rhythmic flexibility in jazz-influenced idioms
• Ensemble listening and communication across sections
• Maintaining groove and style while reading standard harmonic progressions